August

The kids went fishing for the first time this month and each caught their first fish. They've gone a couple of times on the weekend with their dad while Tatum and mommy run some errands. They have gotten to be pretty good little fisherman, and can cast with the best of them after some dangerous first attempts :) The night after their first fishing adventure Brandt drew this picture in his bed we found after he had gone to sleep. I thought it was too cute--

Kaia is an official student now! Twelve hours before school starts I find out that the school has switched to all day, which I am not a fan of. But what do you do the day before school starts?! So it has been an adjustment for everyone. For me because I thought I would have another year before giving her to the world in a sense. I just hadn't prepared myself to let her go just yet. On the other hand, at least I can say I have done my absolute best with her for almost six years and spent every moment of that with her, and in a way I couldn't have prepared myself (or her) any better. She is adjusting pretty well for never having been to school a day in her life. She is tired when she comes home and for now just tolerates school. We asked her if she had made any friends yet (since she doesn't know a soul at the school she attends) and she mentioned a boy who sat at her table named Brendan. My mind flashes back to that first morning when I dropped her off, to a little boy who sat next to her who, after sitting down, promptly grabbed the can of newly sharpened pencils, places them sharp side up and throws the whole can at the ceiling, scattering them all over the room. Kaia said, "He's even sillier than Brandt!" Then it clicked. Of course. She gravitates to the one person most like her brother :) Brendan soon got moved to another table after he and Kaia were sent to a timeout together. Kaia's explanation--"It was his fault! He wouldn't leave me alone!" Okay...

Brandt has been surprisingly great without Kaia at home. He always has entertained himself pretty well and likes that he now doesn't have to take turns with things, like put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and always pushing the garage button to close it. He starts school (a local preschool) next month and is SO excited. He keeps a countdown of days. He wants to be like his big sis. I guarantee he won't even look back where Kaia cried and couldn't let go that first morning. So different :)

Making purple pancakes for Kaia (I can just see your disapproving shake of the head Lois :). They always have to have Mickey Mouse ones...

And how do I even describe how Tatum fits in the scheme of it all? She just dominates. My time, my energy, my life. She has turned into one extraordinary mess maker. I can't tell you how many glasses of milk, boxes of crackers, napkins, legos, crayons, kleenex, bowls of cereal, etc. I clean up every week. She loves to dump anything she can get a hold of. I leave the table for a second or the older kids forget to clean up their dishes and I turn my head, Tatum is up to the kitchen table or counter lightening quick. She can be so cute and sweet, but so stubborn and tempermental. She is quite the little manipulater already. If there is something she wants that she can't have she tries everything. "Cheese" (please), crying/tantrums, hitting, and she even has a little pouty face she'll throw at you for sympathy. She still refuses to fold her arms for prayer time and instead usually goes around to each member of the family sitting reverently and yells their name until they look and her and then she laughs victoriously. She just adds a totally different dimension to our family and honestly we can't imagine our family without her. She is always making us laugh.

I am so excited for fall, but I will miss a little of summer, as Tatum is modeling above. Bathing suits, sun and water, the smell of sunscreen and popsicles on my kids...so long summer (if we ever start hitting below 95 degrees!)!!